Comment

Sadly, it has been going on for pretty much as long as punk has been around, and it doesn’t really have a single contributing factor.

In the US 80s hardcore was made up mainly of white angry teens and young adults. Most weren’t racist but some were. And the low entry of musicianship needed to get into punk made it easy to start a band, so some Nazi bands started forming. The fans of these band thought they would be welcome at other punk shows, but were wrong. That’s why the Dead Kennedy’s wrote the song “Nazi Punk Fuck Off”.

In England skinheads have been around since the 60s but where not the racist skinheads you think of today. It was more of a working class subculture. Oi punk evolved from this subculture, so as fascist started adopting skinhead culture the music came with it. It also doesn’t help that some early punks would wear Nazi symbols to be provocative, even if they didn’t believe in the ideology.

Even in the 90s, when I was a teen and active in the local punk community Nazi’s would show up to a show every now and then. It always ended up with them getting drug outside and getting the shit kicked out of them. Even if they weren’t at the show if there was a sighting of Nazi’s nearby people would go running to kick the shit out of them. Yet, every few months it’s like they expected something else to happen when and would show up again.

My only thought on why this shit is still happening 30-40 years later, is that you have to be a fucking moron to be a Nazi, so it’s not like they would have the best judgement when it comes to where they are welcome.

source

Sort:hotnew top

TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

You still think swastikas look cool
The real Nazis run your schools

I feel like I’m missing context behind some of the lyrics but that line is still JUST as fitting. 👏

source
- hactar42@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  The song is actually a lot deeper than the chorus makes it seem. He actually trying to reason with the Nazi and say, “hey we’re both anti-authoritarian, you’re just a fucking idiot for thinking Nazism is the best way to go about it.”
  
  Punk ain’t no religious cult
  Punk means thinkin’ for yourself
  You ain’t hardcore, 'cause you spike your hair
  When a jock still lives inside your head
  
  This is saying you can’t just dress like a punk and be punk. Punk is an ethos not a uniform.
  
  If you’ve come to fight, get outta here
  You ain’t no better than the bouncers
  
  Some people see punks and mosh pits and think punks are all violent. But that’s not the case, so don’t come around if you just want to fight.
  
  We ain’t tryin’ to be police
  When you ape the cops, it ain’t anarchy
  
  But with that said, they aren’t trying to be the police. They want to dismantle control, not recreate it.
  
  Ten guys jump one, what a man
  You fight each other, the police state wins
  Stab your backs when you trash our halls
  Trash a bank if you’ve got real balls
  
  This section is basically saying don’t take your anger and aggression out on people. It is the system that got you down, not the other people. Take your rage out on institutions of real power, unless you are too much of a pussy.
  
  You still think swastikas look cool
  The real Nazis run your schools
  They’re coaches, businessmen and cops
  In a real fourth Reich, you’ll be the first to go
  
  As you noted this is pretty straight forward, those you hold up actually hate you. Scary how accurate that still is today.
  
  You’ll be the first to go, you’ll be the first to go
  You’ll be the first to go, unless you think
  
  Use your fucking brain, don’t be a Nazi.
  
  This is all just my interpretation after listening to this song for 30+ years. I’m sure there are other ways of looking at it.
  
  source
  - TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    wow that’s a great explanation. Thanks for typing it all out!
    this song is definitely going in my saved songs now :)
    
    source